1 Kings 1:2-3

1:2 His servants advised 1  him, “A young virgin must be found for our master, the king, 2  to take care of the king’s needs 3  and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you 4  and keep our master, the king, warm.” 5  1:3 So they looked through all Israel 6  for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

1 tn Heb “said to.”

2 tn Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see IBHS 230 §12.3b).

3 tn Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend; to serve” (BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד).

4 tn Heb “and she will lie down in your bosom.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.

5 tn Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”

6 tn Heb “through all the territory of Israel.”